Reel



July 27, 1937. I J. SPENCER ET AL 2 8 REEL Filed March 21, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Patented July 27, 1937 UNITED; STATES REEL Herman J. Spencer, Pittsburgh, and Robert M. Jenner, Leechburg, Pa, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Leechgrip Company, OfHara Township, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania 2; Application Mars. 21, 1926, seria No. 10,026

The present invention relates to apparatus for handling thin steel strap or the like for use-in the strapping of boxes or in bulk binding, such as the binding of a large number of packagea'boxes, barrels, or the like, together in trucksor cars for transportation purposes. ,More particularly,

it relatestoa new .andimproved reel for holding the strap to be used in the strapping operation and for feedingthestrap to thestrapping'tool used for effecting thebinding.

By our invention'we .provide'a reel having a number of advantages'over those which have been utilized heretofore in the handling of. strap.

The reel which we provide is of such character as to permit the "ready mounting of thecoil of strap onthe reel and to tighten the straplon'the reel so that as it is removed therefrom it will not bend or become *clogged as it. passes through i the strap guide mechanism. The reel which we provideyalso'embodies a removable face .plate which enables the mounting-ofthe coil' of strap I over one end of the drum on which the strap is to be mounted. The reel which .weprovide also embodies mechanism forguiding the strap as it is paid out from thereel in operation, and the strap-guide mechanism is .provided with locking means to cooperate with the rotating drum for automatically locking thereel in position when strap is not being 'fed therefrom: Thereel. which weprovide also is of such character that it may r be used as a. rotatable reel or a" stationary reel be understood, of course, that our invention is: not limited to the particulartype of reel which" and maybe readily converted from one. type to the other. i I In the accompanying drawings we have shown for purposes .ofillustration only a preferred embodiment of the reel which we provide. It will is shown. in the accompanying drawings, as. our

invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the claimsappended hereto.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the reel which we provide, a portion 'of the removable faceplate being broken away;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the reelshown-in Figure :1 with the removable face plate removed from the reel, and showing the I strap-guide 'mechanismln inoperative or looking position, and also showing the. expansible drum in non-expanded position; a

Figure 3 is aside elevational view of the reel shown'in Figures 1 and 2;.

Figure 4 is a sectionalQview taken along the line IV-IV of Figure 3;; '1

Figure 5 is a partial sectionaiview taken-vertically through the frame and the axis of. the pivotal mounting of the reel, the section line V-V of Figure. 1 indicating the section taken through thereel proper;

' Figure 6 is a side-elevational view 0! the reel 7 stationary reel.

place.

CE I:

shownin Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, butshown in;

inclined position and readyfor use as an inclined The reelwhich we provide by our'invention, is

preferably mounted on a suitable support such" as the frame shown in the drawings and indicated generally by the reference character 2. The main frame 2, as shown in the drawingspis .formed of angle irons, but it will be understood that it may beformed from any type of metal or woo'd,-or other materiaLcapable of supporting the reel. The frameis provided with a base por-.

tion 3 comprising end and side portions which are all suitably connected together by welding orotherwise. Thebase portion ofthe frame is provided with wheels 4 atthe rear end thereof, so that when it is desired to move the reel from" one working location toanother it will only be necessary to tilt the reel and maintain it on the wheels [during its movementrfrom .place to Thereafter it will be permitted to tilt forward so that the. front endoi'wthe base portion of the frame will bear on the floor or ground and hold the reel in'the desired'position.

' The mainframe is provided with uprights 5 and 6 which are riveted or otherwise secured to opposite sides of the base portion and extend upwardly and are joined together at .the'top by means of a handle 1. :The'main frame is' also provided with uprights 8 and 9 which are connected at their lower endswith the base portion of the main frame and intermediate their ends with the uprights 5 and 6. Adjacent the upper ends of the uprights 8 and 9 they are "bent back somewhat beyond vertical position (see Fig. 5)

. sodas to form a bearing surface to which may be welded a bearing plate Ill. The portions of the uprights 8 and 9 which providethis bearin surface are substantially parallel with-portions ofthe 'uprights 5 and fi- 'to which a second bearing plate 12 is rigidly, secured as by: riveting or welding. We provide bearing plates of this-character for cooperating with the means about to be described which we employgfor mounting the reel on the support or frame 2.

Such means are diilicult of embodiment in-such away as to exhibit two capabilities which are among the features which we sought in: order that the reel might be used both as a rotatable reel and as a stationary reel, and may be readily converted from one typeto the other. We have succeeded in embodying in our reel-first, means for rotatably mounting the reel so as to feed out the material, such as the strap, when the reel is used as a vertical reel; and second, thefeature of convertibility, so that the reel may be tilted to the inclined position required of a stationary; reel. The first feature may be simply embodied as a stud l3 on which the hub of the reel is journaled, thisstud havinga head I for retaining the reel in place. In the embodiment shown, the stud i3 is herein constituted by one portion of a bent shaft, the other portion l6 of this shaft being received within alined openings H and I8 in the bearing plates l and I2 respectively. The portion l6 of the shaft is, as above intimated, angularly related to the portion l3, whereby the mounting for the reel is adjustable for disposing the axis of the stud H3 in different angular relations to the vertical. More particularly, the position of the portion H5 in the openings l1 and i8 is adjustable so as to dispose the stud I3 substantially horizontally (Figure 5), or inclined to the horizontal (Figure 6). a key carried by the portion IS in cooperating relation with the plate I2 is engageable with either an upper keyway 2| or a lower keyway 22 in the plate I2. the reel are desired than the two mentioned, additional keyways besides those indicated at 2| and 22 may be provided in the plate I2.

In order to adjust the positioning of the portion I6 in the plates Hi and I2, the bent shaft is moved to the left with reference to Figures 5 and 6, so as to withdraw the key 20 from one keyway; the bent shaft is then rotated in the openings H and I8 until the key comes opposite the desired keyway, when the portion I6 may be again moved to the right .so that the key enters the keyway. In this way, the reel may be readily converted from the rotatable reel shown in Figure 5 to the stationaryreel shown in Figure 6. When used as a stationary reel, 9. face plate, namely, the upper most when the reel is inclined, is generally removed. The manner of removing this face plate will be later explained.

At the front the reel is retained by the head I 5, The reel bears at the rear against apositioning member 24 which; together with the bent shaft, constitute a bracket for rotatably mounting the hub of the reel. This bracket is in turn pivotally mounted in the support or frame 2, the member 24 being generally V-shaped in cross-section. The angle of the v opens upwardly when the reel is used as a rotatable reel, the member 24 engaging on one side the back of the reel and on the other side the inclined face of the plate I0. When the bracket is adjusted to the position shown in Figure 6 so that the reel may be used as a stationary reel, the angle of the V opens downwardly, and this angle is added to the inclination of the plate [0 so that the axis of the reel is inclined, as shown.

This reel may be used for various purposes.

As it is particularly adapted, as above pointed out,

for use in connection with the strapping of boxes or in bulk binding, we have provided a tray 25 secured between the uprights, which is adapted to hold spare clips, tacks, or nails, and the strapping tool itself.

As for such use of the reel, a coil of strap is rotatably mounted for paying out as the strap is used, we have provided an expansible hub indicated in general by the numeral 21, a permanent face plate 28 and a removable face plate 29. The main body portion 38 of the hub is secured as by riveting or welding, or both, to the face plate 28. The portion 30 has in general the shape of a sector, and its angular end is extended as indicated at 3|. For the sake of lightness, the hub and face plates are made of sheet metal. The above description of the portion 30 gives its general contour; and its thickness (see Figure 5) is provided by an arcuate flange 32 and an end flange 33, these flanges extending to the permanent face plate 28 and being bent over parallel thereto for To this end,

Obviously, if other positions of I the hub and face plate 28.

riveting or welding. The expansible hub of which the portion 30 constitutes the main body, and the face plate 28 thus constitute an assembly which is sufilcient for the purposes of a stationary reel, as indicated in Figure 6.

The hub portion 30 and the face plate 28 are provided with aligned openings 35 and 36 through which extends'the portion I3 of the bent shaft. This portion, as above stated, constitutes a stud on which this assembly is journaled by virtue of the aligned openings35 and 36. The hub includes in addition to the main body portion 30 a; plurality of expansible sections 38 and 39. A pivot bolt 40 is secured as shown in the permanent face plate 28 and the extension 3|. The head 4| of the bolt 40 is slotted at 42 (see Figure 2), and a perforation 43 extends transversely of the slot. The wings 44 and 45 of the sections 38 and 39 respectively are pivoted on the bolt 48 so'that they may swing about this bolt to and from expanded position, the expanded position being shown in Figures 1 and 4 and the contracted position being shown in Figure 2.

A toggle is arranged to expand and contract the hub; and for this purpose we have provided a rotatable member and linkages connecting this member to the sections 38 and 39. For the rotatable member we prefer to use a bolt 41 having fixed thereon a cross-piece 48. The linkages 50 and 5| connect the opposite ends of the crosspiece 48 to the sections 38 and 39 respectively. In order to provide a greater throw for the toggle, the linkage 50 is given the shape of a dog leg so as to be capable of moving to fully retracted'position as shown in Figure 2. A spring 53 extends between the sections 38 and39 so as to bias them toward retracted position.

In order to fashion the sections 38 and 39 of sheet metal, the sides of each section are connected by an arcuate flange 55 or 55'; and this flange extends around the end, as indicated at 56 or 56', to provide an end wall carrying a lug 51 or 5'1. to which the respective linkage is connected. The spring 53 is preferably extended between the lugs 5'! and 51'.

The-bolt 41 is, of course,rotatable relative to Its head 68 is slotted to receive a bar 6| which is pivoted at 62 to the head 60. This bar may be swung to the position shown in Figure 2 when it is desired to contract the hub; and may be swung into registry with the slot 42 in the head 4|, as shown in Figure 1, when it is desired to expand the hub. The bar 6| is perforated, and when lodged in the slot 42 a cotter pin may be inserted through this perforation and the perforation 43 to lock the bar in the position shown in full lines in Figure 5. The bar 6|, the bolt 41 and the toggle together make up mechanism for expanding and contracting the tion. This face plate has a central opening substantially the size of the head I5, a circular opening for admitting the head of the bolt 41 and an opening for admitting the head 4| of the bolt 40. When it is desired to remove or replace the face plate 29, the bar 6| is swung to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 5, whereupon the face plate can be slid along the bar 6|. In order to lock this face plate in position, as shown in Figure 5, it is merely necessary to swing the bar about its pivot 62. It will be noted that in the drawings.

a registering notch in the disc fi'l.

thisgbar has a cut-out portion 64 which fits over the head l when thebar is secured' inplace in the head M by its cotter pin.

' The rotatable mounting provided by our improved reel is controlled so that material, such as the strap, does not continue to pay out, once the pull on the material ceases. We have provided means for controlling rotation of the hub,

which control means is actuated by an arm 65. As such control meansjeither a brake or a looking device may be employed; we prefer to employ a locking device for the hub such as shown As the rear of the hub is constituted by the permanent face plate 28, a notched disc 61 is secured thereto as by rivets. The arm 85 is pivoted to an upstanding lug 6 9 on the positioning memberjN; and is guided by aback irig post 10 on the same member. The arm 65 engageable in carries a lug. or tooth 12 which is On the outer portion of the arm 65 is mounted aguide 14 for the material wound on the hub. This guide has anadditional function, a braking action on the material being unwound; The means for thus acting on the material to prevent its loosely travcling through the guide may take various forms.

,In the embodiment shown, a spring-pressed tongue or flap l5 bears down upon thematerial topress it against a friction surface afiorded by an under plate I6. I

As the material ispulled throughthe guide 14, it lifts the lug 12 out of a notch in the disc 61,

if the hub was locked in place, and maintains the arm in raised position. The arm 65 is thus maintained in the raised position shown in Figures 1 and 4 so long as the material being fed is ,taut; but slack caused by slowing up "of the movement of the material permits the arm 65 to drop. The lug or tooth 12 rides on the periphcry of the'disc 6'! until it drops into a. notchand locks the hub in position as shown in Figure 2.

The braking means l5, 16 through which the material is paid out is opened by the pull which draws the material from the reel (see Figure 1) but as soon as there is slack, such that its spring is able to swing the flap [5, the braking means closes on the material by moving to the position shown in Figure 2. It is apparent, therefore, that thisarrangement has the advantage of preventing more materialbe'ing paid out after the pull .on the material stops. As'will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the momentum of the coil and reel is apt to cause the material to'pay .out.

pull on the reel ceases, as soon as the tooth l2 Our locking device stops the reel if the drops into a notch in the disc 61. It will further be appreciated that there is sufficient spring in strap steel to cause a coil to tend to unwind when there is no'pull on the strap by the operator. But

the braking means l5, l6 effectually grip the strap as soon as there is slack; and since travel of the strap through the guide is nowprevented, there will be no uncoiling due to the spring in the coil of strap steel.

It will be apparent from the above description that our improved reel is particularly well'adapt- 'ed for handling coils of material such as coiled strip steel which is'to be fed to a strapping machine. One face plate is readily removable, and

the hub of the reel is expansible so that it may tightly hold a coil of material mounted thereon.

Our invention affords the further advantage that the same mechanism which expands the hub locks the replaced'face plate in position when moved to. the full line position indicated in Figure- 5.

A particular advantage of our invention is that the reel may be readily converted from thevertical rotatabletype to an inclined stationary type brake or locking device which controls rotation V of the hub.

We claim: I l. A reel comprising an expansible huband face plates, at least one of which plates is removable, 1 means for rotatably mounting the hub, and mech anism including a pivotally mounted handle movable to one position for releasing a face plate to permit removal thereof and to another position for lockingsaid face plate in position.

a 2. A reel comprising an ,expansible hub and face plates, at least one of which plates is removable, means for rotatably mounting the hub, and mechanism movable to one position forcontract ing the hub and to another position for expandlock said face plate in position when in hub expanding position.

3. A reel comprising a hub having afpair of "expansible sections, a toggle for expanding and ing thehub, said mechanism being'arzanged to contracting said sections including a rotatable member and linkages connecting said member to said sections, face plates at least one of which is removable, and mechanism for rotating said member ,to expand and contract the hub, said mechanism being movable to one position for releasing a face plate and to another position for locking said face plate in position.

'4. A reel comprising a hub, a shaft having angularly related portions and providing a rotatable mounting for the hub on one portion thereof, a support, and adjustable means for mounting the other portion of the shaft on said sup-.

port with the first mentioned portion in various positions. I

5. A reel comprising a, support, a hub,.and

means including awedge-shapedsplate adapted to cooperate with the support and a shaft having j angularly related portions for rotatably mounting the hub .on said support, said means being. shiftable to dispose the axis of rotation of the hub in a plurality of different angular positions A relative to the vertical. v

6. A reel comprising a hub, a shaft having angularly related portions and providing a rotata blejmounting for the hub on one portion thereof, a support, and means for mounting the other portion of the shaft on said support with the. hub supporting portion of the shaft in various positions.

7. A reel comprising a hub, a shaft having angularly related portions andiproviding arotatable mounting for the hub on one portion thereof, a support, a wedge-shaped member cooperating with the support and ,with said hub, and

means for mounting the other portion of the shaft on said support with the first-mentioned portion in various" positions and with the said u wedge-shapedlmember in various positions relative to the support. v

HERMAN J. SPENCER}.

I ROBERT M. JENNER. 

